Blackwork Samplers make great cushions or pillows

Garden Sampler

Design size: 30.5 x 30.5 cm (12 x 12 in)

Downloadable Chart £3.75

A formal knot garden, stitched in thread instead of plants.

Two shades of green and a gold metallic thread recreate the feel of a grand, walled garden seen from above. The repeating paths and “beds” make this a soothing, rhythmic stitch, and the finished piece has the calm order of a real knot garden.

The design was inspired by a visit to Rothampstead Manor, where my grandfather was head gardener and my grandmother the housekeeper. While the pantry was full of bottled produce, the garden was missing the knot centrepiece I’d imagined—so I designed my own and turned it into this sampler.

Stitch it as a cushion for your favourite chair or frame it as a window into a garden that never needs weeding.

Rose Sampler Cushion

Design size: 34.5 x 34.5 cm

Downloadable Chart £3.75

A Tudor rose you can hold in your hands.

Worked in a single colour of your choice, this design uses tone and value to bring the Tudor rose to life in blackwork. Each petal is filled with geometric patterns that add depth while keeping the iconic shape crisp and clear.

The Tudor rose has long fascinated me—part history, part emblem of peace after years of conflict. It appeared on buildings, furniture, clothing and embroidery, so it felt only right to honour it in blackwork, a technique closely associated with the Tudor period.

On a cushion, it becomes a focal point on your sofa or bed. Framed, it feels like a small piece of Tudor history hanging on your wall.

Maze Sampler

Design size: 30.5 x 30.5 cm (or 12 x 12 inches)

Downloadable Chart £3.75

A stately home maze, safely stitched on your sofa.

Designed as a partner to the Garden Sampler, this maze is worked in black and gold or in any colourway you choose to match your decor. The paths twist and turn in an ordered puzzle that’s satisfying to stitch and beautiful to display.

The pattern grew from childhood memories of wandering real garden mazes—getting lost, doubling back, and finally finding the heart of it all. Here, the pathways and central knot garden are captured in blackwork lines instead of hedges.

No one will get lost in this maze, though. There’s no way in—just a striking, ornamental design that looks wonderful as a cushion or framed piece.

Diagonal Sampler

Design size: 31.6 x 31.6 cm (or 12.5 x 12.5 inches)

Downloadable Chart £3.75

Practice borders, create a cushion, remember a garden.

This sampler is perfect for anyone who wants to explore blackwork borders. Stitched in pink, it makes a pretty bedroom cushion, but it also shines in other colours for everyday use.

The design was born during a class held in a student’s home, where the view from the window stole the show: flowerbeds in each corner of a lawn, forming a central diamond of grass with a garden seat in the middle. Pink and white blooms, narrow paths, apple trees at the corners—every detail felt carefully tended.

Those shapes and colours became diagonal rows of borders in this sampler. I used pink and white tones to echo the flowers; you can choose your own palette to echo a garden you love.

Tudor Oak

Design size: 38 x 38cm (or 15 x 15 inches)

Downloadable Chart £3.75

Oak leaves, Tudor charm, and a gentle nod to autumn.

This cushion design features a repeating pattern of stylised oak leaves, stitched in the colour you love most. Traditional black on white gives a crisp, Tudor feel; autumn shades create a softer, seasonal look.

The idea arrived on a breezy day in my studio as oak leaves drifted in through the open window, bringing back memories of childhood spent playing under that tree. My uncle’s pub, the Tudor Oak, linked those leaves in my mind with the Tudor rose, and the two ideas fused into a repeating blackwork pattern.

The result is a design that feels both nostalgic and timeless—equally at home on a modern sofa or an old wooden settle.

Blackwork Pincushion

Design size: 10 x 10cm (or 4 x 4 inches)

Downloadable Chart £1.75

A tiny sampler with big possibilities.

This miniature blackwork sampler can be finished as a pincushion or broken down into individual squares for 1/12th scale dollhouse cushions.

The design was inspired by a small shop I stumbled into years ago—a treasure trove of buttons, ribbons and threads. On one shelf, tiny silver pincushions sparkled, and that was the moment I fell in love with needlecraft and miniatures.

Originally, I planned to stitch each motif as a separate dollhouse pillow. Once I began stitching, I realised they could combine into a checkerboard pincushion with alternating designs—giving you multiple ways to use the same chart.

Will yours live on your sewing table, or as miniature pillows in a dollhouse room? You decide.

Blackwork Chessboard

Design size: 42.9 x 42.9 cm (or 16.9 x 16.9 inches)

Downloadable Chart £5.00

For the stitcher who loves a good game.

This dramatic blackwork chessboard is built from 16 distinct patterns worked in black and gold metallic threads. The chess pieces around the border are outlined in gold, making this a striking choice for any chess enthusiast.

I designed it with the devoted player in mind—imagining the board in use, pieces moving across the stitched squares while two people sit in quiet concentration. Each blackwork fill adds its own texture, so the board feels alive even before the first move is played.

Display it as a framed artwork, or mount it so it can be used as a real playing board. Either way, it brings the focus and elegance of a well-fought match into your home.